A stalker who terrorised his former girlfriend and her family has been jailed for breaking court orders protecting them.

Shane Oliver repeatedly followed around his former partner - hurling verbal sexual abuse - after she ended their two-year relationship because of his violence.

The 48-year-old from Stockton scared the two children who were with her on Stockton High Street when he screamed abuse at her.

And, on a third occasion, a pub landlady ordered him to leave when he repeated the insults in a bar in the town.

Prosecutor Harry Hadfield said that Oliver harassed the victim on three days in July, despite a restraining order which she was granted by Teesside magistrates in September last year.

Oliver had also been given a suspended jail sentence for criminal damage to her home on the Tilery estate.

The couple had separated in April 2012 and the victim rang police after the first incident on July 21.

But she did not report the two others, when she was with her mother, because she was frightened.

In a victim impact statement she said: “I’m scared. I don’t know what he is going to do.

“Everywhere I go and what I do, it’s going to be abuse all the time. I just want him to leave me alone.”

Oliver had 16 convictions for 45 offences including wounding and actual bodily harm and he had been in custody awaiting sentence since July 31.

Mr Hadfield said that the restraining order expires on September 7 next year.

Rachel Dyson, defending, said that there had been more than one breach of the order but that Oliver had not used any physical violence towards his victim.

She added that he appreciated that he was in a difficult position but had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

Miss Dyson added: “Clearly the Probation Service are willing to work with him further. They have not written him off yet.”

The judge told Oliver that he was in clear breach of the restraining order and he had frightened his former partner.

Judge Les Spittle said: “All she wants is to be protected and not bothered by you.

“It seems to me that the only way I can get the message home to you is to lock you up.

“They are serious matters aggravated by the presence of children.

“What you did is that you used foul, abusive violence against her, because what you said was not only disgusting and abusive, but it was frightening, and on two occasions when children were present you continued in this foul way.”

Oliver, of Hume House, Stockton, was jailed for 54 weeks.

He was also ordered to pay £100 court surcharge after he pleaded guilty to three breaches of the restraining order on July 21, 25 and 27.

The judge added: “Should it be that there arises any need for an extension of the restraining order that can be done.”